Callao C8 Parent(s)/Guardian(s): The Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) Grade-Level Assessments evaluate students’ progress toward the Missouri Learning Standards. The MAP Grade-Level Assessments include assessments in the subject areas of Communication Arts (grades 3-8), Mathematics (grades 3-8), and Science (grades 5 and 8). MAP Grade-Level Assessments provide important information that contributes to decisions concerning individual students, groups of students, and educational programs. A policy statement, adopted by the Missouri State Board of Education, designated the purposes of the Missouri Assessment Program as: © Improving students’ acquisition of important knowledge, skills, and competencies; © Monitoring the performance of Missouri’s education system; © Empowering students and their families to improve their educational prospects; and © Supporting the teaching and learning process. The effectiveness of an assessment program depends on the wise choice of assessment methods, appropriate administration procedures, and accurate interpretation of results. The MAP Grade-Level Assessments include multiple types of questions or items: © Selected Response (also known as multiple choice) items are composed of a question followed by a series of possible responses. Students must select the correct response or responses. e Constructed Response or Short Text items require students to supply an appropriate response rather than making a selection from a list of choices.* Technology Enhanced items make use of technology in the presentation of the item, the ways in which students respond, or both. For example, students might watch a video and then drag and drop labels into a diagram, or click on specific parts of a text to provide a response. Your child’s Individual Student Report includes an Achievement Level, which will describe his or her performance for the grade level and content area as Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, or Advanced. The report will also include a short description of the knowledge and skills that are typically demonstrated by students in each Achievement Level for their grade level and content area. Individual Student Reports will be available at parent/teacher conferences on September 26-29 or you can make an appointment after that time to get a copy of your student’s report. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) publishes a Guide to Interpreting Results (GIR) that provides additional details about the content of the Individual Student Reports. The GIR for the Spring 2016 MAP Grade-Level Assessments is available on the DESE website at https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/asmt-gl-gir-spring-2016.pdf Pam Halstead, Administrator